Currumpaw is a vast cattle range in northern New Mexico. It is a land of rich pastures① and teeming fl ocks and herds②, a land of rolling mesas and precious running waters that at length unite in the Currumpaw River, from which the whole region is named. And the king whose despotic③ power was felt over its entire extent was an old gray wolf.
Old Lobo, or the king, as the Mexicans called him, was the gigantic leader of a remarkable pack of gray wolves, that had ravaged the Currumpaw Valley for a number of years. All the shepherds and ranchmen knew him well, and, wherever he appeared with his trusty band, terror reigned④ supreme among the cattle, and wrath and despair among their owners. Old Lobo was a giant among wolves, and was cunning and strong in proportion to his size. His voice at night was well-known and easily distinguished from that of any of his fellows. An ordinary wolf might howl half the night about the herdsman’s bivouac⑤ without attracting more than a passing notice, but when the deep roar of the old king came booming down the canyon⑥, the watcher bestirred⑦ himself and prepared to learn in the morning that fresh and serious inroads had been made among the herds.
克伦坡是一个巨大的牧场，位于新墨西哥州北部。这片富饶的高原上，牛羊成群，小山连绵起伏，珍贵的溪水汇入克伦坡河，整个地区也因这条河而得名。在这里，到处都能感受到牧场之王老灰狼暴君般的威严。老罗伯，也就是墨西哥人口中的狼王，是一群灰狼中高大的领袖，这些灰狼个个都非同凡响。他们多年来一直在克伦坡河谷为非作歹。所有的牧羊人和农场主都知道老罗伯，只要罗伯和他的同伙一出现，牛群中就弥漫着恐惧的气氛，牛的主人则愤怒而绝望。
老罗伯是狼群中的巨人，体形硕大，身体强壮，非常狡猾。他夜里的嗥叫声远近闻名，很容易分辨出来。一般的狼即使在牧人的营地周围嚎叫半个晚上，也丝毫不会引人注意，可是当老狼王低沉的咆哮声开始在峡谷中回荡，牧人们都会心中一惊，准备好接受第二天一早畜群中的重大损失。
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